SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE OUTREACH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE PRESS CLIPPINGS Enclosed are clippings of local and international press on the Special Court and related issues obtained by the Outreach and Public Affairs Office as at: Tuesday, 26 July 2011 Press clips are produced Monday through Friday. Any omission, comment or suggestion, please contact Martin Royston-Wright Ext 7217 2 International News Obama Extends Sanctions on Liberia's Charles Taylor / Courthouse News Service Page 3 Rod Mac-Johnson Heads IMC / The Patriotic Vanguard Page 4 Police Quiz Ocampo Six in Violence Probe / Daily Nation Pages 5-6 Ruto's ICC Lawyers Visit Eldoret / AllAfrica.Com Pages 7-8 Tribunal Financially Sound / The Daily Star Pages 9-10 DRC Opposition Picks War Crimes Defendant as Candidate / Voice of America Page 11 3 Courthouse News Service Monday, 25 July 2011 Obama Extends Sanctions on Liberia's Charles Taylor By TRAVIS SANFORD WASHINGTON (CN) - Seven years after his ouster from office, the legacy of destruction of the former President of Liberia Charles Taylor continues, according to President Obama, who has extended the state of emergency regarding Liberia declared in a 2004 executive order issued by former President George Bush. That order froze all U.S. based assets held by Taylor, members of his immediate family and senior members of his administration, and barred them from engaging in any financial activity with people, organizations or corporations in the United States. President Obama has extended the order for one year, until July 22, 2012. 4 The Patriotic Vanguard Tuesday, 26 July 2011 Rod Mac-Johnson heads IMC By PV Staff Writers A new chairman of Sierra Leone’s Independent Media Commission has been appointed by president Ernest Koroma in Freetown. He is Rod Mac-Johnson, a former head of the Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA) and correspondent for several international news media including Agence France-Presse (AFP). The deputy chairman is Miss Hannah Ahmed, a seasoned and no-nonsense private lawyer. Other members of the commission are Miss Kahlila Kamara, Isaac Massaquoi (of the department of Mass communications at the University of Sierra Leone), Augustine Garmoh, Mohamed Samoura, Jonathan Thomas, Muctarr Turay and Sahr Mbayo. Joshua Nicol, Samoura, Garmoh and Massaquoi retained their postiions from the previous administration of Bernadette Cole, the soft-spoken head of USL’s Mass Communications department. The majority of the past and current members of the commission are journalists from the private and public sectors. Cole is said to have lost her IMC job because she is widely perceived to be too soft on some of the country’s unruly and highly unprofessional journalists and news media. Rod, the new IMC boss, is also soft-spoken and gentle. It remains to be seen whether he would have the guts to tackle and bring under control the country’s notorious media within the norms of international journalism and best practices. Background According to its webste, which has not yet been updated to reflect the new development, (http://imc- sl.org/AboutIMC/Backgrou...) the Independent Media Commission was established by an Act of Parliament in 2000 as an autonomous body for the regulation of mass media institutions and for other matters connected therewith. The IMC went into operation in 2001 and was originally housed in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 8th Floor Youyi Building, Brookfields with the full complement of eleven (11) Commissioners and one (1) Executive Secretary. In order to maintain its independence as provided by the Act, the Commission relocated to its present address at 54 Siaka Stevens Street in 2003 so that it would not be viewed or perceived to be a department within the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The British Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) provided the initial funds to cover the rent for the first two years for the current premises. In 2005, the Commission paid the renewal rent from its funds. Note: Rod Mac-Johnson has been covering the Special Court for a long time. 5 Daily Nation (Kenya) Sunday, 24 July 2011 Police quiz Ocampo Six in violence probe By OLIVER MATHENGE [email protected] Photos/FILE The interrogation by the CID is part of the government’s efforts to convince the ICC that it was capable of trying the Ocampo Six (Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey, radio presenter Joshua Sang, Public Service boss Francis Muthaura, Deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta and former Police boss Hussein Ali) if they are found to have been behind the violence. Police have started questioning the Ocampo Six suspects in connection with the 2008 post-election violence. Three suspects — former police boss Hussein Ali, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey and radio presenter Joshua Sang — have already recorded statements. The move to question the suspects, fingered by prosecutor Luis Moreno-- Ocampo as bearing the greatest responsibility for the mayhem, is said to be aimed at convincing the International Criminal Court that Kenya can try them at home. (READ: Hold ICC hearings in Kenya, Amnesty urges) Some 1,133 people were killed and more than 600,000 displaced during the violence that followed the disputed 2007 presidential election results. President Kibaki, who ran on a Party of National Unity ticket was declared winner but Mr Raila Odinga of ODM disputed the results. The violence ended when former UN secretary general Kofi Annan mediated between the two sides leading to the formation of a coalition government. Mr Katwa Kigen, who represents Mr Sang said on Sunday the broadcaster was interviewed by the CID on Friday. His other client, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, is scheduled to meet the CID officers this week, he added. Mr Evans Monari, who acts for Mr Ali, said the Postmaster General had recorded a statement though he did not disclose details of when this happened. Mr Kosgey was the first to be interrogated on June 6. He denied allegations brought against him, according to a government report sent to The Hague. However, it appears that some of the suspects are not keen to record statements even after receiving letters from the CID. Mr Karim Khan, the lead counsel for Public Service boss Francis Muthaura said that they were focused on clearing their client’s name and not any other issues. His team, he said, was busy reading through Mr Moreno-Ocampo’s evidence ahead of the confirmation of charges hearings in September. 6 Speaking by telephone from The Hague, Mr Khan said: “I have not supported in any way filing of the admissibility challenge by the government nor have I dismissed it. “We have been silent on the matter as our main focus is to clear Mr Muthaura of the claims that have been made against him. Any other matter is an unnecessary detraction from what we are doing.” It is still unclear whether Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta has recorded a statement or is planning to although sources say that he, like the rest of the suspects, received an invitation letter from the CID. The interrogation by the CID is part of the government’s efforts to convince the ICC that it was capable of trying the Ocampo Six if they are found to have been behind the violence. Mr Ruto, Mr Sang and Mr Kosgey joined Mr Ali in supporting a government report on ongoing local investigations sent to the ICC two weeks ago. (READ: ICC seeks views on probe report) In separate submissions, the four told the Court of Appeal judges to admit the report as a show of Kenya’s efforts to try the cases at home. Mr Ali said that while he reserved the right to file his own application challenging admissibility of the cases against the Ocampo Six, he “endorses the position taken by Kenya’’. Mr Kosgey argues that accepting and considering the contents of the updated investigation report is an appropriate measure in ensuring the proper conduct of the proceedings of the appeal lodged by Kenya. “Contrary to the submissions of the prosecution, the Updated Investigation Report does provide evidence that concrete steps have been taken by the Kenyan investigative authorities in relation to the six persons accused by this court,” Mr Kosgey tells the judges. Mr Ruto and Mr Sang, in a joint submission, argue that the Appeals Chamber should compel the Pre-Trial Chamber II to accept the report and reverse the decision in which Kenya’s case was thrown out. (READ: Judges reject Kenya bid to save suspects) They are also concerned that the Kenyan investigation team has not been able to locate the people who gave the initial statements in 2008 and “speculates that they may have been relocated by the ICC prosecutor”. “If this is the case, and the ICC process is in fact frustrating the possibility and progression of further national investigations, then it would be patently unfair for the court to dismiss the admissibility application on the basis of inactivity,” the two tell the judges. But the submission has been rejected by Mr Moreno-Ocampo and alleged victims of the post-election violence who argue that it has no meaningful additional information about any investigation against the Ocampo Six. 7 AllAfrica.Com Tuesday, 26 July 2011 Ruto's ICC Lawyers Visit Eldoret Lawyers representing three of the violence suspects at the International Criminal Court have started visiting some of the post election violence victims in Rift Valley, the Star has established. The lawyers expect to get evidence which they will use to prepare their defence of Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang ahead of the confirmation of charges hearings which are scheduled to be held in September at The Hague.